Taboule Salad... sort of ;)

Today was a day to go through the cabinets and check the dates on 'non-perishable' foods and decide what tasty treats I could use them in before they expired!  I'm a big fan of the funky little "salads" they have by the deli counter (tabbouleh, couscous, soybean, etc), and am always mixing stuff together to make my own :)  Here's what I came up with today...

* A box of Near East Taboule; just use the wheat, minus the seasoning packet
* 1/2 can of black olives, cut up (rinsed well)
* 1 can of organic shelled soybeans (again, rinsed well... always on canned stuff!)
* 1/4 cup of Craisins (or about that... whatever was left in the bag)
* 1/2 cup of black beans (I had just soaked and rinsed a bag last night... YUM!)
* 1/2 of a cucumber, diced up, peel on (another leftover!)
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons each of grapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar, and black pepper & a little table salt (iodine is good for the system!)

1. Cook the wheat as explained on package, without the seasoning packet (normally I LOVE traditional tabbouleh flavor, but the packet looked a little old, so I doctored other flavors around not having those in the mix). 

2. Let the wheat cool to room temp.

3. Mix all other ingredients in.

4. Enjoy!!

Yup, that's it.  And to think, grocery stores charge upward of 5 bucks for a teeny container.  It tastes better after it's sat & loved on itself for a while.  This makes 8 heaping 1/2 cup servings, with the following nutritional values...

Per serving: 220 calories, 8g fat, 10g protein, 31g carbs, 15g iron, and 250g of sodium (highish sodium due to olives & canned soybeans). 

Healthy calories, healthy fats, healthy carbs, lots of protein & iron... Awesome mid-day mini meal!!!